UFC 134: Forrest Griffin Doesn't Want to Lay an Egg, Pull an 'Anderson Silva'
by Mike Fagan on Aug 25, 2011 4:40 PM EDT
in UFC Quotes
Email
Print
I've had a rough time finding the space in our calendar to unload the second edition of Forrest Griffin's refreshing UFC 134 blog, but fortunately the series is stuck at two and Yahoo! seems to be doing their best at making it as difficult as possible to find. (Seriously, search Google with any combination of words to try and find these things.)
In this episode, Forrest talks about being a provider, making a promise to a dying friend, and analogizing a championship run to looking up a mountain. He also talks about his upcoming fight with Mauricio Rua:
I fight Mauricio "Shogun" Rua for the second time at UFC 134 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, next week. I won the first fight four years ago and that was really a good night for me. You can tell that just by how stupid I acted after the fight.
The whole momentum, finishing the fight with 14 seconds left, it was one of those things - in that fight I didn't think he was gonna stop me, and I'm not gonna quit so I figured I'd win. And it's the same mentality this time. I'm gonna try and go forward, I'm gonna fight him and I'm not gonna back down. I'm not gonna fall down and crumble, and every scramble, I'm gonna scramble with him.
Yeah, there's a good chance that he'll catch me with a running hook or a knee or something, and I'll be done, but he's gonna have to earn that. I'm coming after him. I'm in a pretty good place mentally because I'm not so attached to the outcome. I care more about how I perform and more about not going out there and laying an egg, a.k.a. pulling an "Anderson Silva." As long as I fight and fight well, I don't give a hoot.
While I expect this fight to be fun inside the cage, I'm more interested in the storylines going in and coming out of Rio. We've heard rumors that "Shogun" is injured again. There are concerns that his conditioning isn't where it should be. (Sound familiar?) But we've also heard from Forrest himself that fighting feels like a job now, that he feels like he's pleateaued, if not outright regressed, as a fighter.
That this is a rematch of one of the most memorable upsets in UFC and MMA history only adds to the intrigue.
97 comments
|
1 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
he'd have to beat
machida or the loser of jones/rampage to get that shot IMO.
Why Machida
He’s on a 1 fight win streak with that win being over a retiring Randy Couture. Conversely, this would be Forrest’s third straight victory to give him a streak of Ortiz, Franklin and Rua.
"My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world."
- Jack Layton
he wont get Rampage.
he’d get someone on a win streak. hopefully they’ll set up Machida-Davis soon, and the winner fights the winner of Forrest-Rua for a title shot.
Fighting solves everything.
Very Close
Most likely one more win away, but if he has a strong win against Rua and there are injury issues with other the contenders I could see him being plugged in for the next shot
One fight I guess. Beating someone who just lost the belt can lead to a number one contender match. It will depends on the opponent, and who holds the belt at the time. If it’s Rampage, then Forrest got his title shot for sure. If it’s Jon Jones…Forrest might straight up retire.
"Don't worry about a thang...I got this"
Problem for Forrest is
Regardless of the outcome of Jones/Rampage, the Evans fight for the title is THE money fight for the UFC either way.
"My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world."
- Jack Layton
I don’t see how it prevents him to get a title shot if he wins a contender match. The contender match could take place around the time Evans fight the winner of Page/Jones. It’s perfect, even though very unlikely (imo).
"Don't worry about a thang...I got this"
I think he meant
that because of that fight Forrest isn’t going straight to the title from this fight.
:p - orcus
Most of the time I am a rather quiet fellow, who likes to read about Philosophy, Mathematics and History, but like most people I also have a deep appreciation of sex and violence... - John Danaher
Definitely.
I never talked about going straight to a title shot though.
"Don't worry about a thang...I got this"
Good point
:p - orcus
Most of the time I am a rather quiet fellow, who likes to read about Philosophy, Mathematics and History, but like most people I also have a deep appreciation of sex and violence... - John Danaher
I got forrest via RNC round three
after Shogun gasses horribly.
I feel ya. I've really not seen any fire in Shogun since coming to UFC.
Knees? Cardio? I dunno, but he needs to murder Griffin this weekend to get that mojo back (a boring decision would break my heart win or lose)
He went 5 rounds with Machida just fine
If he’s healthy gassing won’t be an issue.
He had a resting HR of 48 before the first Machida fight.
"I'm ready for fight. If I'm win, no win. I don't know. But, I'm ready for fight. This is my working[shrugs shoulders]" - Anderson Silva
Machida doesn't dictate pace
I think that helped immensely in being able to go 5 rounds in that fight.
"My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world."
- Jack Layton
Fighting 5 rounds without tiring
is still incredibly hard.
"I'm ready for fight. If I'm win, no win. I don't know. But, I'm ready for fight. This is my working[shrugs shoulders]" - Anderson Silva
I don't disagree
But there’s a difference in fighting a big guy like Forrest Griffin who’ll put his weight on you and try to push the pace and a guy like Machida who will let you dictate the pace and react to you.
"My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world."
- Jack Layton
I agree completely
but at the same time, its 15 minutes vs 25 minutes.
He fought at his own pace, but it was a brutal one. Throwing good muay thai kicks is tiring as hell, too.
"I'm ready for fight. If I'm win, no win. I don't know. But, I'm ready for fight. This is my working[shrugs shoulders]" - Anderson Silva
that fight was mostly standup though. 5 rounds of Forrest Griffin putting all his weight on him is going to be rough.
3 rounds
:p - orcus
Most of the time I am a rather quiet fellow, who likes to read about Philosophy, Mathematics and History, but like most people I also have a deep appreciation of sex and violence... - John Danaher
If by pulling an Anderson Silva...
He means knocking someone out embarrasingly bad enough to send them running from from the octogan, then go for it. Just seems weird to talk shit about someone who crushed your soul.
by butt.bar.bandit on Aug 25, 2011 4:16 PM EDT reply actions
i think he means how HE performed against Anderson. at least that’s how I interpret it after reading his entire quote.
Your beliefs become your reality.
by Hardy's in your face on Aug 25, 2011 4:19 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah
I thought it sounded weird when I read the title, but after reading what he he said it makes more sense
:p - orcus
Most of the time I am a rather quiet fellow, who likes to read about Philosophy, Mathematics and History, but like most people I also have a deep appreciation of sex and violence... - John Danaher
Yeah,
I know what he’s saying, but it’s just funny to me that Forrest is using Anderson as an example. You would think that Forrest would pretend like Anderson doesn’t exisit, in hopes people forgot that they fought.
by butt.bar.bandit on Aug 25, 2011 4:57 PM EDT up reply actions
He is bringing Anderson up as a horrible performance. I really think that fight did a lot of damage to his fighting psyche. It would have for me.
If heavyweight isn't the toughest division in the UFC, then why doesn't someone that can kick their asses move to it? They don’t even have to cut weight!!
Yeah, he is very self-deprecating. That’s good to hear in sports today, filled with dumb fucking cliches from multi-millionaire douches. And he rips it on O&A.
by butt.bar.bandit on Aug 25, 2011 5:04 PM EDT up reply actions
yup, thats what i like about him
he’ll tell you if training’s not goin well and if he’s afraid of his opponent.
Fighting solves everything.
silva put on 3 of the worst main events in recent memory
yes, his other fights have been epic, but those 3 were epically bad.
Incorrect
Sorry man, not even feeling a need to explain why. If you don’t know why you are wrong, you choose to not see it.
If heavyweight isn't the toughest division in the UFC, then why doesn't someone that can kick their asses move to it? They don’t even have to cut weight!!
by crizzy on Aug 25, 2011 4:39 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
And this is why the interwebz are beloved by all.
by skeebop on Aug 25, 2011 4:44 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
so put them together
DYNAMITE.
seriously, i have high hopes for this fight, as i do with all of Silva’s fights. but i would say there is a substantial, substantial chance that this one is a stinker. not to blame either guy – just the combination of their styles.
This is why I'll always be a fan of Forrest
Yeah, there’s a good chance that he’ll catch me with a running hook or a knee or something, and I’ll be done, but he’s gonna have to earn that.
"My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world."
- Jack Layton
by Worldisart on Aug 25, 2011 4:27 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
can anyone tell me more about this??
We’ve heard rumors that “Shogun” is injured again. There are concerns that his conditioning isn’t where it should be.
Fine! I'll go build my own lunar lander, with blackjack and hookers. In fact, forget the lunar lander and the blackjack.
PRIDE fan boy
There’s rumblings that Shogun isn’t in good shape. Check the video in the link for a look at a underwhelming conditioning practice video. Granted we don’t know the when of the video, but people claim he looks lethargic.
There’s also been some rumour going around from people “in the know”. I think Brookhouse mentioned it first in passing a few days ago. That he’s heard whatever.
The MMA Garage
Check out this site for discount MMA gear.
by Discman2 on Aug 25, 2011 4:44 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
intresssssting
hope its all malarky but thanks!
Fine! I'll go build my own lunar lander, with blackjack and hookers. In fact, forget the lunar lander and the blackjack.
PRIDE fan boy
For all we know this video could have been shot months ago at the beginning of his camp.
While I expect this fight to be fun inside the cage, I’m more interested in the storylines going in and coming out of Rio. We’ve heard rumors that “Shogun” is injured again. There are concerns that his conditioning isn’t where it should be.
Are there any valid sources for these rumours ?
The only thing I hear are interpretations of a video Shogun agreed to share with the public (meaning he’s probably aware he didn’t look awesome in the video… then why did he share it?).
There’s also the fact that Shogun has gone on the air to say he’s 100% (but any fighter will say this before a fight).
http://www.mmabay.co.uk/2011/08/19/ufc-134-%E2%80%93-mauricio-%E2%80%9Cshogun%E2%80%9D-rua-clears-up-injury-rumours-claims-he%E2%80%99s-100-ahead-of-forrest-griffin-rematch/
Both fighters are in a strange place in their career
which makes this fight so difficult to pick. Forrest doesn’t seem confident at all in his abilities and seems unconvinced he can even win this fight. Shogun was crushed in his last fight, and now we’re hearing rumors of his poor conditioning and injuries. It’s a real toss up and should make the fight interesting.
http://nohonestsleep.tumblr.com
http://penguinsfromthenorth.tumblr.com
http://www.scenepointblank.com
wow another shogun is injured post
i’m sick of hearing about shogun and his knees. i sick of the constant ( if he wins ) hes back better than ever, ( if he loses ) he knees are fucked and that caused his cardio to suck.
shogun says he is 100% so no more excuses
by gsot fan on Aug 25, 2011 4:29 PM EDT reply actions 3 recs
Even if he never talks about his knee, fans and medias will take care of it. I promise you that (if he loses) you’re not done hearing about it, not even close.
"Don't worry about a thang...I got this"
yep because
shogun is so great he will only ever lose when he knees are fucked. a in shape shogun is unbeatable…….
shogun fans are as bad as fedor fans.
Let’s be honest, Shogun does have a fucked up knee. It will always be a factor with him. And what is that story about Fedor fans. Careful bro…
"Don't worry about a thang...I got this"
careful why?
shogun fans can’t take it when he loses and make all kind of excuses, just like fedor fans.
What excuses for Fedor exactly? I really don’t know, I’m a Fedor fan but I don’t make excuses for him, also I don’t go in comment sections about Fedor, because haters. I feel like Chael Sonnen in Brazil out there.
"Don't worry about a thang...I got this"
i'm not a hater of fedor but cmon
werdum fight – werdum was lucky fedor wont make that mistake again
silva fight – 60 pounds weight advantage is why he lost, and if doctor had not stopped the fight fedor wins by k.o in 3rd
hendo fight – back of the head, ref on the take, zuffa wanted him to lose.
You make a good point but it is hard to accept when a 10 year undefeated fighter gets schooled over night 3 times in a row. I would think that would be understandable.
If heavyweight isn't the toughest division in the UFC, then why doesn't someone that can kick their asses move to it? They don’t even have to cut weight!!
he lost accept it
there are plenty of fedor haters who will always say he wan’t that good and skipped the ufc because he knew he couldn’t win.
just as the fedor fans who say he was cheated by the ref and doctor
in reality he is still the HW GOAT who lost he last three fights to good fighters
Don't stress it.
It just means you’re not geeky enough, you should be proud actually.
"Don't worry about a thang...I got this"
So...
those multiple major knee surgeries never happened?
"My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world."
- Jack Layton
It's not an excuse,
it’s an explanation.
Xtreme Couture- The best never rest! The girl in my av is Kari Sweets (you're welcome).
"I swear it upon Zeus an outstanding runner cannot be the equal of an average wrestler."
-Socrates
by ElliotMatheny on Aug 25, 2011 8:43 PM EDT up reply actions
I really hope
that Griffin is playing this fight off but going to be coming in ready to kill. This would be a very smart strategy for this fight. Seems a little over the top how much he has been saying how unmotivated he is and how he just doesn’t have it any more. I hated Forrest Griffin initially for some reason but over the last few years I have really grown to appreciate what he brings to the table. A guy that doesn’t really have the athletic gifts to get where he is in MMA yet has done it anyway.
His interviews are kind of upsetting to see though and it isnt for the content. His speech seems slurred and I hope it was because he had a few before the interview because if it isnt, it means that he has had some serious brain trauma and needs to think about quitting the fight game. Losing Griffin would be a huge loss for MMA but I hate more than anything, to see fighters take so many blows to the head that their lives suffer afterward. War Griffin! and I hope he thinks carefully about continuing to fight if he is getting punchy. OK, the sermon is over, lol.
If heavyweight isn't the toughest division in the UFC, then why doesn't someone that can kick their asses move to it? They don’t even have to cut weight!!
...
"My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world."
- Jack Layton
by Worldisart on Aug 25, 2011 4:39 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I thought I got worked up sometime….
"My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world."
- Jack Layton
Of course you're not worked up
You’re completely calm and rational….
shogun fans are as bad as fedor fans.
"My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world."
- Jack Layton
I know Fedor fans can be bad. But in the case of Shogun and his knee, I think they are just connecting the dots. Now there are excuses and excuses, if you say the knee was a factor, well you’re probably right. If you say it’s the only reason he lost, then yeah you’re a fanboy.
"Don't worry about a thang...I got this"
Have you seen his interview with Helwani? His speech is definitely slurred. I don’t know why you are so angry that I made such an observation but it is obvious.
If heavyweight isn't the toughest division in the UFC, then why doesn't someone that can kick their asses move to it? They don’t even have to cut weight!!
rubbish
yes i watched it twice and i hear no slurred speech. so i disagree as strongly as i can on this subject.
see my comment to lolly below and listen again. perhaps you may change your opinion.
If heavyweight isn't the toughest division in the UFC, then why doesn't someone that can kick their asses move to it? They don’t even have to cut weight!!
lol, you replied in under a minute
If heavyweight isn't the toughest division in the UFC, then why doesn't someone that can kick their asses move to it? They don’t even have to cut weight!!
Griffin is from Georgia...
It’s called a southern drawl…he’s always talked like that..nothing new. :)
lol, I live in NC so I think I know a southern drawl. I have a pretty good knowledge base in this area so maybe it isn’t as apparent to others. Listen to the beginning of his sentences and how he rushes through the difficult multi-syllabic word combinations. To each his own though, my opinion only.
If heavyweight isn't the toughest division in the UFC, then why doesn't someone that can kick their asses move to it? They don’t even have to cut weight!!
I'm from NC too...
Forrest has always sounded like that though…he sounds like he has marbles in his mouth sometimes. LOL I just don’t see any difference in the way he talks now as compared to earlier in his fighting career.
Cool, where in NC are you? I am just north of charlotte
If heavyweight isn't the toughest division in the UFC, then why doesn't someone that can kick their asses move to it? They don’t even have to cut weight!!
you do
:p - orcus
Most of the time I am a rather quiet fellow, who likes to read about Philosophy, Mathematics and History, but like most people I also have a deep appreciation of sex and violence... - John Danaher
I know
That’s why I said it :)
"My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world."
- Jack Layton
as long as we're on the same page then
:p
:p - orcus
Most of the time I am a rather quiet fellow, who likes to read about Philosophy, Mathematics and History, but like most people I also have a deep appreciation of sex and violence... - John Danaher
rec’d for Hobbes
Anderson Silva, Edson Barboza, Jose Aldo, Charles Oliveira, Thiago Alves = Muay Thai wrecking machines!
by SentientAndroid on Aug 25, 2011 5:43 PM EDT up reply actions
(repost from way up above)
For all we know this video could have been shot months ago at the beginning of his camp.
While I expect this fight to be fun inside the cage, I’m more interested in the storylines going in and coming out of Rio. We’ve heard rumors that "Shogun" is injured again. There are concerns that his conditioning isn’t where it should be.
Are there any valid sources for these rumours ?
The only thing I hear are interpretations of a video Shogun agreed to share with the public (meaning he’s probably aware he didn’t look awesome in the video… then why did he share it?).
There’s also the fact that Shogun has gone on the air to say he’s 100% (but any fighter will say this before a fight).
<a href=“http://There’s also the fact that Shogun has gone on the air to say he’s 100% (but any fighter will say this before a fight). ”http://www.mmabay.co.uk/2011/08/19/ufc-134-%E2%80%93-mauricio-%E2%80%9Cshogun%E2%80%9D-rua-clears-up-injury-rumours-claims-he%E2%80%99s-100-ahead-of-forrest-griffin-rematch/" target="_blank">http://www.mmabay.co.uk/2011/08/19/ufc-134-%E2%80%93-mauricio-%E2%80%9Cshogun%E2%80%9D-rua-clears-up-injury-rumours-claims-he%E2%80%99s-100-ahead-of-forrest-griffin-rematch/" >
http://www.mmabay.co.uk/2011/08/19/ufc-134-%E2%80%93-mauricio-%E2%80%9Cshogun%E2%80%9D-rua-clears-up-injury-rumours-claims-he%E2%80%99s-100-ahead-of-forrest-griffin-rematch/
This site needs an edit function like keira knightley needs to eat.
by aTn on Aug 25, 2011 5:14 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
We call it the preview button
:p - orcus
Most of the time I am a rather quiet fellow, who likes to read about Philosophy, Mathematics and History, but like most people I also have a deep appreciation of sex and violence... - John Danaher
Hustled!
Well, I have no idea whether he’s doing that or not, but I think it’ll be really funny if, after all this self-deprecation and moaning, we see a really focused Forrest in this fight.
I've been thinking the same thing...
Forrest is always talking himself down…he likes to be the underdog and plays that up…he fights better when he is the underdog. I have a feeling he’s coming to fight and all these interviews that have people thinking he is depressed, is just him playing head games. We’ll see Saturday night!
but fortunately the series is stuck at two and Yahoo! seems to be doing their best at making it as difficult as possible to find. (Seriously, search Google with any combination of words to try and find these things.)
This is a Google issue, not a yahoo issue – because yahoo is a competitor their search engine likely impedes any such searches by design.
Try doing a Yahoo search instead of a Google search and I suspect you’ll have far more success…
"Life is tough, but it's tougher if you're stupid." -John Wayne
Death before dishonor, drinks before lunch.
Never send sheep to kill a wolf.
by The American Ronin on Aug 25, 2011 6:00 PM EDT reply actions
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Bloody Elbow
Related FanShots on Bloody Elbow
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
MMA Rankings
